Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks is having a tough year. He's been injured before, but now he has a broken hand. The broken hand is on his non-throwing hand, but it can affect performance during the snap from center. Of course, the Seattle Seahawks are acting like it's not going to be a problem. Will it?

Mike Holmgren, head coach of the Seattle Sehawks, thinks folks are blowing it out of proportion:

"Goodness gracious. I mean, I'd be the last one to be critical of these Watergate-type investigative reporters, because I think that was a very important time in our history. It was important that story came out.

THIS, however, is not one of those situations. ... So in an effort to 'break the big one,' I am going on record saying this is not that big a deal. OK?"

Well, you know the quarterback takes the snap from the center. A good snap will actually force the hands apart with the palms taking most of the force. Guess

 

where Matt broke his hand? The palm.

What are the symptoms of a broken palm hand? There will be bruising, pain and some swelling. There will be pain when you flex the hand open and close. Depending on which bone is broken there may be a loss of sensation in the fingers.

How do you treat a broken palm hand? Usually a cast is recommended to keep the broken bones immobile. If you look at the picture you'll see the problem with a cast solution, though. Depending on the bone it's going to be hard to keep it immobilized.

How long does it take for a broken palm hand to heal? It depends on the severity of the injury. Usually you'll see improvement in two weeks if it's immobilized, but in this case it's a matter of gritting down and bearing the pain.

Will this affect Matt Hasselbeck? I feel it's going to affect his snaps. Looks for a couple of fumbles from him.